An Angel on Your Shoulder
by Jumping JellyBean
Summary: Do you believe in angels? After this experiance some of the team just might. Just a sweet, simple story inspired by one of my favorite books.
1. Chapter 1: Italian food and Free Angels

Note: This is set a little bit after the end of episode one after Gibbs has killed Dearing but before episode 2. Other than references to episode one, it's really not related to the actual show's plotline right now.

Disclaimer: No, NCIS doesn't belong to me *sigh*. Though in retrospect it probably wouldn't have lasted as long as it has if I owned it.

**An Angel on Your Shoulder**

**Chapter 1: Italian food and free angels**

_6:34 pm_

Tim wearily stumbled into the Italian restaurant. He shuffled his way to the counter and picked up the take-out orders the team had called in earlier. He paid and turned back towards the door. Upon reaching the door, he opened it quickly and nearly ran into someone.

"Oh, sorry about that," Tim said startled.

"Oh that's alright dear." The little old lady Tim had nearly taken down was being helped back onto both feet by a much taller broader man.

The man glared at Tim then looked down. "Are you alright Mother?"

"Oh yes David, I'm fine." She smiled up at her son then peered at Tim through her wide, round glasses. "Don't you worry about me young man, there's not a scratch on me." She spread her wrinkled hands out and smiled. "It takes a lot more to knock down this old lady."

Tim smiled a tired smile and held the door open for the pair. The lady paused in the doorway and placed a hand on her son's elbow.

"David, you go on inside and get us a table, I will follow in a moment."

"You sure Mother?"

"Yes, yes, I'm sure. Go on now before the line is too long."

David shrugged and headed on inside. Tim looked at her in confusion.

"Is there something wrong Mrs.-"

"Hannah. Just call me Hannah my dear." She took Tim by the hand and led him to one of the outdoor tables. She plucked a chair out, placed Tim in it, then plopped herself in another one. She peered at him through her glasses again. Tim looked back at her. _What is she looking at?_

Tim glanced at his watch. "Um, Hannah, I apologize for my rudeness, but I really need to get-"

"Oh this will just take a moment dear." Hannah stood up (she was not much taller than Tim standing while he sat) and took off her glasses. Tim watched, confused, as she fingered the air between them and then gestured at his shoulder.

"There." She smiled in satisfaction.

Tim looked at his left shoulder. There was nothing there. "Um…"

"You take good care of her now."

"Take care of whom?"

"Why, the angel." Hannah said it like it was obvious.

"I'm sorry, what are you talking about?" asked Tim in complete bewilderment.

Hannah smiled and sat back down. "Well you see dear, when I saw you coming out of this restaurant I could see you were, and still are, very worn down, which is why you nearly took down this little old lady."

Tim blushed. "I am truly-"

"And," she interrupted, "I can see you have several heavy things weighing on your mind right now. Am I right?"

Tim thought about the craziness of the past couple months and how much work was still going on. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"That is why I have decided to give you one of my shoulder angels."

"A . . . shoulder angel?"

"That's right. She's a pretty little thing and will watch over you while you are in need of her."

"Um . . . okay."

"However-" Hannah held up a finger. "Sometime soon you will meet someone who is in need of her help more than you, and then you must pass her on to them. We can't hog angels. They will go where they are needed, but it is better for them to be given. Then their powers are stronger."

Tim blinked at Hannah. She stood and patted him on the arm. "Don't worry. I've accumulated quite a few angels in the past couple of weeks. My grandchildren each give me one when they come and visit me, so I have plenty to spare. I've been passing them to others to spread the blessings." Hannah patted his arm once more and walked inside the restaurant. Tim sat for a moment, not sure what to think about what just happened. He stood up, shook his head slightly, then headed back to his car and back to the craziness of NCIS.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

_Five hours later…_

Tim carefully stopped in front of the outdoor ATM machine. It was finally the weekend and Tim had plans that involved a need for cash. He stepped out of his car and looked up and down the street. It was late, but the street wasn't completely deserted, so he locked his car and stepped up to the machine. Tim drummed his fingers on the panel, waiting for the transaction to happen, when two figures appeared behind him. The small review mirror on the machine gave him a good look of the pair, and they looked like trouble. Tim tensed slightly as they stared at him.

They started walking closer when one grabbed the arm of the other. He pointed at something to Tim's left and whispered to his buddy. The two stopped walking towards Tim and instead walked down the street.

Tim watched them leave as the machine spit out his money. He looked to this left and saw nothing but the brick of the building. He looked up and down the street, then hurried back to his car and drove home, cash safely in hand.


	2. Chapter 2: Lucky?

**Chapter 2: Lucky?**

_A couple days later…_

Tim walked into work refreshed after the weekend off. He sat down at his computer and browsed through his email. Ziva and Tony walked in soon after, followed by Gibbs who announced they had a new case. The team grabbed their gear and headed out.

Tim was surprised when they drove up the street to the ATM he had visited the previous Friday. A man lay slumped at the base of the machine with stab wounds in his chest and stomach.

"Petty Officer Curtis Reeves," read Tony off of the ID badge he found in the man's pocket. "Looks like he was mugged for whatever cash he took out of this machine and fought back."

Tim snapped pictures and looked at the scene thoughtfully. Ziva was scanning the street up and down.

"What are you looking for Ziva?" asked Tony.

"A street camera or something. This street used to be known for drag racing so they put in traffic cameras to catch speeders." She looked across the street. "There." A small camera was pointed in their general direction. "Think it caught the murder?"

"Possibly," said Gibbs. "McGee, go check it out."

"On it boss." Tim passed the camera to Ziva and headed to the van. He opened his laptop and accessed the traffic camera footage. After rewinding for less than a minute he found it. Two men in dark coats grabbed the petty officer after he withdrew some cash. They struggled until one pulled out a knife and stabbed the petty officer. Tim paused the video when he had a decent shot of the men's faces. His heart skipped a beat as he studied the slightly blurry image.

"What have you got McGee?" Gibbs looked at Tim and noticed his pale face. "McGee?"

"Oh, um, I got them." He turned the computer towards Gibbs. "Boss…"

"What's wrong McGee?"

"I… I think I can identify these two."

Gibbs looked Tim in the eye. "How?"

"I used this ATM last Friday night, late, and those guys were there. They were… watching me withdraw some cash."

"What did they do?"

"Well, at first they just stared, then they started to approach, but something scared them off."

"What?"

"I don't know. I was watching them in the little review mirror on the ATM and they pointed at something to my left, but when I looked nothing was there."

"Can you show me?"

"Sure." Tim leaned back down and typed some numbers. The video quickly re-winded to Friday night. Tim and Gibbs watched Tim as he used the ATM. The two suspects crept into the shot. They paused, pointed at something next to Tim, then left. The camera angle cut off the very left edge of Tim's body, so they couldn't see whatever had scared the pair away.

Gibbs whistled. "Whatever it was McGee, you can count yourself lucky. Looks like they've been targeting this ATM for a while."

Tim swallowed and took a deep breath. "Yeah, guess I was lucky."

"Start a search on these guys. See if you can find them."

"Yes boss."

Gibbs walked back towards the scene of the crime. Tim watched himself look up and down the street in the video then drive away. "Lucky…"


	3. Chapter 3: No Explanation

**Chapter 3: No Explanation**

_Not much later…_

Tim wasn't sure what to think as he stared at one of his almost-attackers through the one way glass. The man, identified as George Vincent, fidgeted in his hard metal chair in the bare room. His eyes kept moving from the door to the window and back again. Gibbs had already worked a confession out of the 22 year old, and was now in the neighboring room dressing down the other assailant, 27 year old Edgar Shelley. They were just waiting for a confession so they could hand the pair over and move on to their next case.

Tim thought for a moment longer, than left the observation room. He carefully stepped into the interrogation room and closed the door. Vincent looked at him nervously. _After an interrogation by Gibbs and Ziva, I'm not surprised. He is probably wondering if I'm here to break his nose or something._ Tim walked over to the table and sat down with a piece of paper. He looked up at Vincent and the two stared at each other for a moment.

"What do you want?" asked Vincent in a small voice.

Tim looked at him for a moment longer then spoke. "I've just got a question."

"Why? I already told the other cop everything. I'm going to jail. What more do you want from me?"

"Just listen, okay?" Tim tried to speak in a non-threatening voice. Vincent relaxed a little bit, but still looked as nervous as a caged animal. "Fine. What do you want?"

"Last Friday, you and Edgar Shelley were staked out at the ATM on 76th west, correct?"

"Yeah. I already told the other guy this."

"I know. There was a man using the ATM, around 11:30 pm. You were planning on robbing him of whatever you could get, but didn't, correct?"

"Yeah…" Vincent was getting nervous.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why didn't you rob him?"

Vincent thought for a moment. "Well, at first we thought he was alone, then out of the shadows next to him some lady appeared."

"A woman?"

"Yeah."

"Describe her."

Vincent was surprised by the question, but gave it some serious thought. "Well, it was really dark. Shorter than you, probably around 5'7'' or 5'8''. Had dark hair. Maybe in her late 20's. And she was packing."

"She had a gun?"

"Several. And she was wearing the holsters on the outside of her jacket. She just appeared and leaned against the wall next to you. She stared at us creepy-like, so we got out of there."

Tim leaned back in the chair and thought about that. _Wouldn't I have noticed if someone was there? Nobody was there when I looked. _

Tim stood up. "Thank you for your cooperation." He walked out, thinking hard, and nearly ran into Tony.

"Hey there Probie, watch where you're going." Tony staggered back, his arms full of papers.

Tim helped him straighten his load. "Sorry Tony." The pair headed towards the bullpen.

"What were you doing in there? Gibbs got a confession out of him already. He's already cracked his partner as well."

"Nothing. Just asking about…Friday?"

"Wondering why you didn't get stabbed?"

"A little."

Tony dumped his load unceremoniously on his desk and sat down. "Well, according to Shelley you weren't alone at that ATM."

"That's what Vincent said."

"You didn't tell me you were there with a lady friend."

"I wasn't. I was alone. I think I would have noticed if there was a woman with a gun standing next to me at an ATM."

Tony snorted. "Maybe you were drunk."

"I had just gotten off of work Tony," said Tim with exasperation.

Tony shrugged with a smile. "I don't know what to tell you McGee. Maybe she was a hallucination."

Tim shrugged and turned back to his computer and his report. He started typing, then thought of Vincent's description. Late twenties, around 5'7'', dark hair, carried a gun.

Tim opened a side drawer and pulled out a stack of pictures he kept there. He pulled one out and stared at it, wondering.

Kate's face stared back.


	4. Chapter 4: Like a Pass Along Card

**Author Note:** Okay, I have to apologize to some people. In the last chapter I accidently referred to Kate Todd as a 'middle-aged woman'. No, I do not think Kate was a 50 or 60 something year old lady. When I first started this story Tim's mysterious guardian the night he was almost mugged was going to be someone else, an older man actually (I was thinking about making it his grandfather or an uncle). However I decided to make it Kate and somehow missed the middle-aged reference in my editing. My apologies to all and it should be fixed now. Thanks for letting me know though :)

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

**Chapter 4: Like a Pass-Along Card**

The day finished not too late and even though it wasn't the weekend, Tony invited the crew out for a few small drinks.

"Come on guys," he said with a sly smile. "We don't have to drink to go out and have a good time. We can just eat dinner and relax for a bit. We can even be home by curfew."

Tim wasn't feeling like going, but agreed after some persistent nagging from the DiNozzo department. Tony managed to wheedle Ziva and Gibbs into going, got an enthusiastic yes from Abby, and although Ducky couldn't make it Palmer said he could as long as he got a ride.

The crew drove out to a popular sport's grill and bar close to D.C. and Tim was surprised by how much fun he had. The grill served hot wings and he enjoyed watching Tony try and beat Gibbs at eating the hottest wings he could find. Tony made a mad dash for the bathroom after just licking the hottest wing on the menu. Palmer asked Gibbs how he had built up a tolerance to such spicy foods.

"It's easy. Don't let DiNozzo find out you're really eating the mild barbecue wings," said Gibbs with a satisfied smile. The group burst into laughter.

At the end of the meal, Tim offered Palmer a ride home, who had ridden over with Abby. They piled in and drove in silence. At a stop light, Tim glanced over and saw Palmer rubbing his forehead.

"You okay Jimmy?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Palmer replaced his glasses and smiled his usual smile. "Just a little tired."

"Stressed out?"

Palmer chuckled. "You could say that. Not really stressed, just worn out. With the wedding and all the drama with Dearing and the bomb at NCIS and Ducky in the hospital and his persistence at NOT obeying the doctor's orders and-"

"I got it Jimmy," said Tim with a laugh. "It's been a stressful last couple of months."

"More like a stressful year." Palmer sighed. They drove in silence for a bit longer. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Does your job as a field agent ever… scare you?"

Tim thought for a moment. "Sometimes. I think I am more nervous most of the time than scared. Depends on the situation." Tim glanced over at Palmer.

"I wouldn't say I've been scared lately," said Palmer. "I've just been…thinking a lot."

Tim said nothing. He could tell Palmer just had some things he needed to get off his chest, and his normal confidence, Ducky, had not been all that patient with Palmer's ramblings.

"I remember looking at Petty Officer Reeves at the crime scene and seeing how badly he had been stabbed, and how you were almost mugged by the same guys during the weekend, then I was thinking about when Director Shepard died, and how you guys are always getting shot at, and it just seems so overwhelming sometimes. Bodies don't bother me, but seeing Dr. Mallard lying in that hospital bed after his heart attack…" Palmer paused.

Tim just waited.

"I guess I just feel like… things have been more violent lately… and I know you guys have a violent job, but it just feels…"

"Closer to home?"

"Yeah. It almost feels like something is out to get us. Like the number of bad guys has increased in the world and the number of good guys has decreased." Palmer took off his glasses and rubbed his face. "It… it feels like the world just isn't… safe anymore."

Tim drove in silence, thinking. Palmer replaced his glasses and looked out the window, slightly embarrassed to have laid his thoughts on Tim of all people.

The pair rode and drove in silence. Tim stopped in front of Palmer's place and put the car in park. Tim looked over at Palmer, an idea pestering him to act, though Tim was unsure how it would be accepted.

"Hey Palmer…"

"Yeah."

"Do you believe in… guardians?"

"Guardians?" said Palmer with puzzlement.

"Yeah, like people assigned to watch over you."

"Like… guardian angels?"

"Yeah," said Tim hesitantly.

Palmer thought for a moment. "Well… I wouldn't say I believe there are people in white robes with trumpets and wings flying around protecting us… but to an extent… maybe."

Tim could see Palmer was very confused by the question and forged ahead before he wimped out.

"Well Palmer, that night I was almost mugged, the two guys who we have in custody said they saw someone… standing next to me, and she scared them off."

"She?"

"Yeah. A woman carrying a gun."

"Wow," said Palmer. "Are you sure she wasn't… real?"

"I never saw her." Tim thought back several years. "At least, I haven't seen her in a while."

"What do you mean?"

"The woman the guys described sounded a lot like… Kate."

Palmer opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. "Wow… I mean… wow. You think…"

"I'm not sure what to think," said Tim. "Basically… I'm just trying to say… well… don't worry Jimmy." Tim gave Palmer a small smile. "The world isn't doomed to utter destruction quite yet. There are a lot of good people still out there." _Whether we can see them or not._

Palmer grinned at Tim. "Yeah, you're right." He looked at his watch. "Guess I'd better let you go. Thanks for the ride. And for… listening."

"No problem." Palmer gathered his stuff and exited the car. Tim watched him walk away and suddenly imagined Hannah gesturing over Palmer's shoulder with that knowing smile of hers. _Well_ thought Tim, _I guess my shoulder angel has... moved on to someone else who needs her more. _Tim shook his head and chuckled at the thought of a mini person sitting on Palmer's shoulder as he worked in Autopsy. _Moved on like a pass-along card._

He started the drive home and an image of Kate entered his mind. He thought of all the things that had happened in the past several days: his chance meeting with Hannah, his near-mugging, capturing the men who killed Petty Officer Reeves. He thought about all the ways that so many things could have gone wrong- that night and many other nights.

_Well Kate. If it was you there… thanks._

Tim made it home safely that night and was enthusiastically greeted by Jethro.

Outside, invisible to most of the mortal world, a strong, confident woman stood on the sidewalk looking up at the lights in Tim's apartment.

_You are very welcome Tim._ She smiled, turned, and disappeared into the darkness.

The End


End file.
